Limit fried foods to protect heart health, warn experts
Health and nutrition specialists strongly recommend limiting the consumption of fried foods to an absolute minimum. When we cannot avoid this type of food preparation, we should pay attention to the kind of fat we choose for frying.
Unfortunately, many Canadians still use fats unsuitable for this purpose. Worse still, they can produce health-hazardous toxic compounds during thermal processing at high temperatures. Therefore, we should avoid them.
Although frying food often adds flavour, it negatively impacts our figure, as it significantly increases the calorie content of the prepared dishes. This type of food preparation also dramatically affects our health, especially the cardiovascular and digestive systems.
Frying can lead to holes in the intestines, making them leaky. While fried foods have a unique taste and tempt us with their aroma, they can cause various ailments, such as heartburn, indigestion, stomach pain, a feeling of heaviness in the stomach, belching, and painful intestinal cramps.
Limiting the consumption of fried foods is also crucial for preventing heart and circulatory diseases. Regular consumption of such products is associated with elevated blood cholesterol levels, which in turn increases the risk of stroke and atherosclerosis.
Despite these warnings, it is difficult for Canadians to give up this type of food preparation. However, if we decide on fried chicken, pancakes, dumplings, or croquettes, we must know which fats are unsuitable for preparing dishes at high temperatures.
Fats that are not suitable for frying
Although extra virgin olive oil is an excellent fat for cold consumption and contains many valuable health properties, it is unsuitable for frying. At high temperatures, it can produce carcinogenic compounds.
Although flaxseed oil contains valuable omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, it is also not suitable for high-temperature processing. Its low smoke point means that the unsaturated acids turn into carcinogenic substances during frying.
The same applies to pumpkin seed oil, milk thistle oil, and grape seed oil. Soybean oil and corn oil also turn into toxic bombs during frying.
It is best to use fats with a high smoke point for frying, which is why canola oil is popular. Chefs appreciate clarified butter, which can also be used safely.
